Simple Definition of quest…Merriam Webster online dictionary

My friend, Bob Ossler, and I set out on a quest more than sixteen months ago: to write his memories of his work as a volunteer chaplain at Ground Zero in New York City after 9/11.

Bob is a talker and a storyteller. He is not a writer. But he joined a writers’ critique group that my friend, Kathryn Ross, and I organized at Cumberland County Community Church, in Millville, NJ.

Bob started telling his Ground Zero stories and stopped us cold. We listened to story after story, spellbound and teary-eyed.

When Bob stopped talking, silence overwhelmed the conference room. Then, almost in unison, the writers in the group said, “Bob, you must write these stories so readers can see a new picture of what happened at Ground Zero. Your stories tell about people with fractured and broken hearts and spirits. They don’t just tell about buildings that crashed to the ground.”

“I can’t write,” he insisted. “I’ve tried and tried. But each time I end up in an emotional mess. I just can’t do it.”

“Can you email?” I asked.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Then write me emails, and let’s see what happens.”

And that’s just what he did. Bob wrote me hundreds of emails of his memories about Ground Zero. We met weekly for three hours, and I plagued him for more details. We wrote and rewrote. Then we found a publisher, Scoti Springfield Domeij of Blackside Publishing, who caught our vision and encouraged us to keep writing.

Fifteen months and ten reams of paper later, our quest ended in a published book. Writing this book was a journey, a long and difficult journey, but we did it. And here is our final product. It was a quest well worth doing, but we are both glad that it is finished. What will our next quest be? Stay turned. We are already working on another brainchild.

Tagged: Horizons at Woods Landing - Mays Landing N, lakside reflections, nighttime reflections]]>https://janiceheck.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/weekly-photo-challenge-edge/feed/1121jhhwwpchwl-lake-9-14-1615th Anniversary 9-11 Tributehttps://janiceheck.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/15th-anniversary-9-11-tribute/
https://janiceheck.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/15th-anniversary-9-11-tribute/#respondSat, 10 Sep 2016 18:44:47 +0000http://janiceheck.wordpress.com/?p=14187]]>#NeverForget. Every September 11, patriotic Americans spend time reflecting on the terrorist attacks of 9-11. They were beyond our comprehension at that time…and even now remain incomprehensible. How could such a terrible attack occur on American soil? So many people lost their lives: firefighters, police officers, first responders, emergency workers, civilians. But America is strong, and we recover from these terrible events. Even so, we do not forget.

Chaplain Bob Ossler spent 45 days working at Ground Zero and his memories of those events are strong. He has recorded his memories and reflections in his book, Triumph Over Terror. Here are a few of the scenes he remembers taken by photograph friends Chaplain Dan Schafer, Dan Pennino, Mary Gepana Eble, Krystyna Anderson and a few others in a video scripted by Janice Hall Heck and produced by Sam Rempel.

This image is especially appropriate for this week. One World Trade Center in New York City mirrors blue skies and white clouds…harmony and peace. One World Trade Center represents the hope, determination, resilience, and strength of Americans in the face of adversity. With this new One World Trade Center as a reminder, we will never forget all those who lost their lives (firefighters, police, emergency workers, and citizens) in the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

See more Ground Zero photos on the Triumph Over Terror website by Ground Zero Chaplain and Janice Hall Heck.